Fields Sewerage Co. v. Bishop

30 S.W.2d 412, 1930 Tex. App. LEXIS 705
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 14, 1930
DocketNo. 10712.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 30 S.W.2d 412 (Fields Sewerage Co. v. Bishop) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fields Sewerage Co. v. Bishop, 30 S.W.2d 412, 1930 Tex. App. LEXIS 705 (Tex. Ct. App. 1930).

Opinion

JONES, C. J.

Appellant, Fields Sewerage Company, a corporation, is permanently enjoined, by a judgment in a district court of Dallas county, from operating its sewerage disposal plant located a few miles northwest of the city of Dallas. The judgment resulted from the trial of a suit for the abatement of such plant as a nuisance, instituted by appellees, A. T. Bishop and ten other residents of Dallas county, Tex., who own property in the immediate vicinity of said plant. From this judgment appellant has duly prosecuted an appeal.

Appellees alleged that the operation of the sewerage plant constitutes a nuisance, and made specific allegations of fact upon which this charge is based. These allegations of fact were specifically denied by appellant in its answer, and it also affirmatively pleaded, in effect, tjiat the injunctive relief prayed for by appellees would result in depriving a thickly populated suburb of the city of Dallas of sewerage facilities, and thereby inflict injury upon a much larger number of citizens than the number injuriously affected by the operation of the sewerage plant. The pleadings of appellant and appellees in reference to the matters above mentioned are full and complete, and are a sufficient basis for all-of the issues submitted to the jury, as well as all of the contentions made by the parties on this appeal.

The undisputed evidence discloses that the United States Government in 1917 established what was known as Dove Field as a place for governmental training in aviation, which was rapidly developed by the government as an aviation field and as a place for quartering soldiers in this class of service. After a survey by officers of the United States government, for the purpose of-locating a suitable site for a sewerage disposal plant, the -sewerage plant and the necessary mains connecting it with Love Field were constructed and the plant operated as a necessary means for the disposal of sewerage from Love Field. No complaint was urged against this undertaking of the government by any property owner affected by the establishment and operation of such plant, among whom at the time were some of the appellees. After the war had ended, the government disposed of its ownership of the aviation field and the sewerage plant, the latter being sold at a small price as salvage. The United States Army officer in charge of the construction of this sewerage plapt informed some of the property owners that its establishment was only a war measure and that its use would end when the war was over; that it was in consideration of this promise that no objection to its construction, was made. The aviation field and other adjacent lands passed into the ownership of a private investment and development company, and the development of the suburban addition of Love Field was the result. The sewerage plant was enlarged and improved .by its present owners, and there are now about 300 connections, serving a population of approximately 1,500 people who now depend entirely on this plant for the disposal of sewerage. Complaint was not urged against -the operation of the sewerage plant until approximately two years previous to the filing of this suit in 1928. This apparent acquiescence by the complaining property owners in the location of the sewerage plant and its operation, together with the fact that, during the time of such apparent acquiescence, very substantial sums of money were spent by appellant on the enlargement and improvement of the plant, were made -the basis for a plea of estoppel by appellant. This plea is answered by ap-pellees in allegations sufficient to excuse any laches on their part and such allegations are established by proof. Hence this issue will not herein be discussed.

The evidence as to appellees’ allegations in reference to the plant not being of the character that modern sanitation de *414 mands, that it is overloaded because of insufficient size properly to take care of the sewerage, and that it is improperly operated, is practically undisputed and' disproves all of such allegations. The evidence on the other allegations of appellees, to the effect that, though properly constructed and operated, the sewerage disposal plant is a nuisance, is in sharp conflict. This conflict was passed upon, by the jury in favor of appellees; the finding thereon is sustained by evidence and is binding on this court.

The findings of the jury on the special issues submitted, in the interest of brevity, are paraphrased as follows: (1) the operation of appellant’s disposal plant causes offensive gases, fumes, or odors to be given off; (2) these gases, fumes, or odors are such as to be materially offensive, annoying.and unpleasant to the senses of a person of ordinary sensibility; (3) these gases, fumes, or odors are such as to render enjoyment of life materially uncomfortable, in the vicinity adjacent thereto, of a person of ordinary sensibility; (4) these gases, fumes, or odors are such as materially to interfere with the proper or comfortable enjoyment of the property in the vicinity of the sewerage plant; (5) these gases, fumes, or odors are such as to materially work hurt to, or endanger the health of, persons' of ordinary sensibility in the immediate vicinity of the sewerage plant; (6) these gases, fumes, or odors are such as materially work hurt, inconvenience, or damage to lands, tenements, and hereditaments of those living in said vicinity; (7) these gases, fumes, or odors are such as to make the places of citizens of ordinary sensibility of the community adjacent to said plant materially undesirable as places of residence; (8) the appellant now has available an adequate means of disposing of its sewerage without using said plant; (9) the maintenance or operation of the sewerage plant causes odors of such a disagreeable character as to produce real or material discomfort to persons of ordinary sensibility; (10) the maintenance of the sewerage disposal plant at the location at which if is maintained, under the facts •shown by the evidence in this cause, is' reasonable; (11) the sewerage disposal plant is properly constructed; (12) the sewerage disposal plant is properly operated; (13) the sewerage disposal plant is not overloaded.

The findings from to (1) to (9) inclusive are in response to appellees’ pleadings, áre supported by evidence and are adopted as the findings of this court; the findings from (10) to (13) inclusive are in response to appellant’s defensive pleadings, are sustained. by practically the undisputed evidence, and are adopted as the findings of this court.

There should be given a statement of the evidence on which issue No. 8 was submitted to the jury, and which sustains the finding thereon, that appellant now has available an adequate means of disposing of its sewerage without the use of its disposal plant It shows that one J. S. Stephenson, for the purpose of giving sewerage facilities to two suburban additions he was developing (Bluff View Estates and Greenway Park), constructed a sewerage main from the Bluff View Estates addition, and a branch main to Green-way Park addition, to a connection with a sewerage main owned and operated by the city of Dallas. The connection with the sewerage main of the city of Dallas was affected under the terms of a written contract between Stephenson and said city, and its terms authorize Stephenson to make connection with appellant’s main. The Stephen,son main passes within 600 or 800 feet of appellant’s sewerage disposal plant; it is further shown that connection with the Stephenson main by appellant is practicable and feasible.

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30 S.W.2d 412, 1930 Tex. App. LEXIS 705, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fields-sewerage-co-v-bishop-texapp-1930.